Zutara: Duck, Cover & Kiss
by Korikali
Summary: Zutara drabbles! Sweet to serious, light hearted or not, you can't go wrong with the tension between these two.
1. Her Eyes

A/N: Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Avatar, these stories are nonprofit, (but reviews make me happy! ) and everybody pretty much knows this already. So!

* * *

**Her Eyes**

She knelt in tattered blue robes, clutching the tattered body of her best friend. Not the mighty, all-powerful Avatar he was supposed to be – he had been reduced to a child, a boy still so young, who had been struck down into the arms of someone who cared for him.

Zuko wrenched his eyes from the boy's limp body before any horror or, just as dangerous, compassion could work its way into his chest. He instead looked to the girl, and nearly froze as her broken gaze speared through the barriers he had hurriedly built around his heart.

His eyes traveled up the hair that fell across her shoulders like water, followed the flowing tears that painted the way to her eyes. Her _eyes._

Running from him, smirking at him, fighting him, yelling at him, weeping in front of him, her eyes had always been wide, beautifully blue, and full of so much feeling he could hardly place it all. Human emotions took on a new depth in those eyes.

Now, her eyes were small, yet filled with a pain and grief that chilled him.

And something was missing.

She looked as though her heart had been shattered, Zuko could tell that clearly enough. But…

_Hope._

The hope that had never before abandoned her gaze was missing.

It was bittersweet. Hauntingly beautiful.

And it frightened him _endlessly._


	2. His Hair

**His Hair**

"Katara, it's fine, I really don't need any help," Zuko offered hastily.

Katara raised her eyebrows as she scanned his face. His hair was clearly disheveled and he had a hand twisted in it and clutching his bangs to his forehead. Zuko kept his face impassive and quickly whipped the offending hand down to his side. Katara rolled her eyes and turned away so that he wouldn't catch the grin she was trying to smother.

"Riiight. Sorry to crush your ego, but you do. You probably got spoiled from all the servants at that palace of yours," she said, a slight quirk in her voice despite her disapproving tone.

Zuko frowned and pursed his lips, ready to retort, but then…hell, she was right.

"Then…I don't _want _any help.

_Ohhh, maybe I should have put that more politely._ He was still working on winning the friendship of the group, and he didn't need his Uncle to tell him minding his manners could definitely help. But still! He had a feeling that having her do his hair would be rather different than when the servants in the Fire Nation did it. Not that he didn't think she could do it, (he eyed her own well arranged hairstyle) it's just that servants were impersonal. Katara had only recently stopped glaring at him whenever she caught his eye, so he wasn't sure he felt comfortable…

"Too good for my help?" She stuck her hands on her hips and a lofty, challenging look settled across her face.

Zuko panicked, sure he had somehow offended her again, but thankfully she saved him from finding a way to excuse himself.

"Well, you're getting it." She motioned to a spot on the grass. She was clutching a brush and some sort of band or clip in her hand.

"Sit here."

He hesitated, then let out a defeated "Fine," and sat down stiffly cross legged. Katara knelt on her knees behind him and brought the brush to his forehead.

At first Zuko just sat there frowning stiffly as he felt the rhythmic strokes dragging across his scalp, convincing himself that he was accepting a peace offering, _not _giving her an opportunity to do something unspeakably horrible to his hair. But then, as the brush was replaced by her deft fingers, he admitted to himself that this felt kind of…nice.

Her touch was firm, but with it came a gentleness and care that Zuko hadn't felt in a long time. Not since, well…since his mom. He exhaled slowly, enjoying the sensation of her fingertips running through his hair. The tension in his back eased and Zuko let his eyes close as he slipped into a meditative state. Despite all those hours he'd spent calming his mind on his ship, he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so relaxed. His nerves jumped as Katara gently swept her hand up the back of his neck. The odd tingling feeling that her fingertips left as they trailed across his skin felt sort of good, and he sighed contentedly.

Katara felt a reluctant smile spread across her lips as she felt Zuko relax into her touch. She wasn't quite ready to admit it, but the boy was beginning to earn her trust. So she was taking baby steps to…maybe be a bit kinder him. And moments like these were beginning to mean something to her. She continued to collect all his hair and pull it up to the top of his head. She felt Zuko shiver slightly against her hand as she brushed up the strands in the back, and furrowed her eyebrows a little. Well, he still _looked_ unruffled.

Katara picked up a band, worked it around the small bob of dark hair and smiled happily at her handiwork. Noticing that Zuko still hadn't moved, but somehow unwilling to just prod him in the back, she scooted a bit to the right of him and peered past his shoulder into his face. Her hand still rested comfortably on his back.

Zuko's eyes were closed, and he looked more peaceful than he did even in sleep. Katara's stern expression softened, and she felt something warm flutter in her chest as she stared at the sweet expression on his face. It was still strange, but rather nice to see the usual tenseness and worry erased from his features. Katara's eyes took on a fond gentleness as she considered that he had really been very eager to pitch in. She'd chased him away from their cooking, blazing at him like a she-devil for over a week, but he seemed determined to help out. A tender smile graced Katara's lips.

Impulse took hold of the girl, and her eyes slipped closed. She gently leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on the side of his cheek, just below the corner of his closed eyelashes. Instantly his golden eyes snapped open. Katara drew a startled breath and jerked away from him. She hopped to her feet, face flushing.

"I'm sorry! I, I wasn't really thinking. I mean, I do that to Aang all the time, and I just…" she trailed off, flapping her hands embarrassedly. She was so _stupid!_ He'd let his guard down, _she'd_ let her guard down. She felt like she had stomped and done a cha-cha all over whatever boundaries she had been keeping between them. What in La's name had she been thinking?!

Zuko, for his part, just stared at her in shock, lips parted slightly and looking rather bewildered. He'd been feeling so peaceful, letting her draw him deeper into that meditative bliss, and he'd felt a soft pressure near his cheek. Soft, true, but the touch of her lips sent an electric jolt through his body.

He wasn't sure if it was just that she'd surprised him, or that this was _Katara_, and he wouldn't have expected such a gesture from her. Not when she still had so much to resent him for. The rush of emotion coursing through him was still tingling in his fingertips. He vaguely heard her stuttering something about Aang, and focused on her words.

"…Aang all the time, and I just…" she looked down helplessly, a fading red tint still in her cheeks.

"Toph and Sokka _do_ think that I'm too motherly," she sighed. She still looked a bit flustered, but her tone held a distasteful apprehension.

Zuko just looked at her for a moment. Her steady blue gaze held his golden one, and he gave her a gentle, genuine smile.

"I don't mind."


	3. Smiling

**Smiling**

He frowned such an awful lot.

Not that that was the first thing she noticed about him. No, at first it was his eyes that drew her in, but that was another story, another mystery she endured, battled, embraced.

But, his frown.

Why did worry and suffering crease the corners of his mouth so often? Some part of his soul always seemed shackled by the ghost of a guilt, a memory, something that he couldn't let leave him alone. She knew that she was partly to blame for its hanging around so long, but now…now for better or worse, she cared, and she longed to see a moment when he was completely at peace.

So she came to stare at his mouth, waiting to see it smile.

And when he did smile, oh, it seemed to bring such a feeling of happiness to her heart. So she spent time with him, hoping to keep bringing that beautiful smile to his face, even if only for the selfish reason of wanting to feel that swoop again, that warm elation that coursed through her skin like…well, like a fire. So much could one honest smile do.

So she watched his lips.

Her eyes would find his and then flicker down to those lips before jumping back up, unwilling to be caught staring.

Caught staring. But why was staring at his lips so different from staring at his mouth, his frown? …Because. Because they made her feel delightfully nervous every time she looked at them – _he_ made her feel a whole muddle of emotions that confused her but she wouldn't have traded for anything.

Love? _Love?_ She wondered when she'd begun to need that word, test it out, see if it suited him. But she just _couldn't_ call it love, all these feelings she had attached to a smile.

And then he frowned, and he frowned, and it started to break her heart.

So she did the only thing she could to smooth the frown away. She took his hand, pressed her lips onto his lips, wished away the tears.

She kissed him, and she _felt_ the smile.


	4. Blue

**Blue**

****

"Blue is such an awful color."

"…"

"Zuko?"

"…No, it isn't."


	5. Waterbending Scroll Remix

**The Waterbending Scroll Remix - A Deleted Scene**

It started off smoothly enough. He had the element of surprise, and an unusual bit of luck. The girl practically ran straight into his arms, and all he had to do was reach out to grab her wrists and yank her closer before she could twist away.

"I'll save you from the pirates."

_Very_ smooth.

So yes, he'd managed to latch onto the waterbender and watch briefly as panic and a hint of fear flashed across her face and struck her mute. Anxious to press his advantage, he quickly made to turn her so he could have her hands behind her back, but wasn't quite quick enough. Her shocked face contorted in anger and she thrashed in his grip, which he'd had to loosen to adjust his hold.

Damn.

He vowed that later, when he thought of that night, he would mentally skip straight from the moment he nabbed her to when she was harmlessly bound to the tree. Because really, it was just so…_demeaning_ to have to literally _drag_ the stupid waterbender to the stupid tree.

She tried to backpedal, eyes darting, arms flailing and teeth clenched ferociously, but he glared and tightened his fingers over her wrists and matched her steps.

"Let me go!"

Zuko rolled his eyes. Right, that's _exactly _what he was going to do.

He swiftly swung the pair of them around and started to march her backwards toward his boat. She stumbled at his forceful movement and nearly tripped over her own feet; he had to suppress a cold smirk. _Hah._ She clearly didn't know what she was doing.

He had lurched them about two steps backward when she snapped her intense blue eyes up to his and forcefully dug her heels into the ground. Zuko's advancement stopped abruptly as their pushes collided, and he locked their gazes.

"Going to call for your friends?" he taunted, a low bitterness in his voice. He pointedly pushed forward and squeezed even tighter for a moment. She was stronger than she looked. He could feel her pulse thumping wildly through the wrinkled fabric of her shirt. And he was fairly sure she was trying to roast him alive with the cold of her glare.

"Not a chance." she hissed. "I am _not_ going to lead Aang into a trap."

She violently jerked her arms and tried to circle around him.

"Going to call your crew?" she spat, and kicked valiantly at his shins. Fortunately for Zuko, as well-intentioned as her kicks were they merely shuddered harmlessly up his armor. His glare deepened and he continued to grapple with her. Call his men? And look as though he couldn't handle a mere water peasant? Hardly.

Still…he grimaced they danced around, heading toward the boat to be sure, but heading toward the boat far too _slowly_ for his taste. He forced her hands down as she reached her slender fingers towards his face, no doubt intending to claw his eyes out.

How easy it would have been to simply strike her with a fist, a rock, or concuss her with a blast of fire. Perhaps a particularly nasty blow to the head would stop her struggles. Still, having a hostage who would be unconscious for Agni knows how long could be a serious flaw in his question-the-girl-and-catch-the-Avatar-off-guard-and-asleep plan.

Besides…he really didn't want to hurt her.

_Sigh._ He bent her wrists back toward her shoulders and shoved downward. If he could have the higher ground, maybe he could harmlessly trap her…

"Wah-!" he exhaled sharply as her knees promptly buckled and she dropped to the dirt. Something that felt like panic swooped in Zuko's stomach as the momentum from his push nearly pitched him forward on top of her. He unconsciously released her left arm to pinwheel his own and try to keep his balance. Well. Maybe she wasn't completely inept after all, he thought distractedly as the girl tried to simultaneously wrench her right arm out of his hand, jump to her feet and back away. Zuko dropped to his knees for stability and yanked fiercely on her arm with all his weight. She gave a strangled _"Ah!" _and stumbled to her knees again. Before she could rise a second time Zuko lunged for both of her hands and pinned them to the ground. He curled his fingers around her wrists and pulled them sharply toward him.

She fell forward and splayed on the ground awkwardly, almost as though she were bowing to him. _Right._ Zuko quickly hopped up, over head and sat on her waist, facing her feet. He pushed her braid out of the way as he swiveled his body so he could straddle and face her at the same time.

Her elbows bent frantically as she tried to push herself up, but he heavily pressed his palm down between her shoulder blades. She slipped with a small "Oof!" and he grabbed her wrists once more, twisting them around to her back and pinning them there.

"Get _off_ me!"

The girl squirmed underneath him, but he could see her face burning with humiliation. Well _good_. That made two of them. Sitting awkwardly on an opponent to restrain them wasn't exactly the most honorable thing to do. Pinning a _girl_ was even further from gentlemanly. Gentlemanly…_Pfft._ Zuko resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It looked like his uncle was rubbing off on him. Oh well. At least he'd kept more of his dignity than she had. And so he addressed the back of her head with a new level of confidence.

"Ready to cooperate?"

wh_ACK!_

"_Ow!" _

The indignant protest escaped his lips before he could stop it, and he barely stopped his instinct to clutch at the back of his head where her foot had connected with his skull. That little peasant had _kicked_ him! He could hear the smirk in her breath as she made a small, self-satisfied noise through her nose and rested her chin almost contently on the earth.

Outraged, Zuko's brightened gold eyes immediately narrowed to slits, and he pinned her long legs with one of his and leaned down over her back.

_Slam!_

His palm connected with the ground just to the front-left of her head, a burst of flames erupting from his fingertips and shooting skyward. Her face jerked up off the ground and Zuko felt her entire body tense beneath him as she stared at hand, at the tendrils of smoke curling up from it.

He leaned down even closer and growled slowly,

"I wouldn't _ever_ do that again if I were you."

Her neck snapped sideways and their eyes locked again. A range of emotions that she seemed to be desperately trying to control churned in her wide blue eyes. Would he…_really?_ He could still see the fear there…why did that bring an uneasy feeling to his gut? She was the enemy, it was probably good that she feared him. It…it meant he was in control.

Still…if he was truly in control, why was he threatening a girl he had effectively trapped?

Her hands suddenly seemed cold in his grasp, though he was sure she could feel the angry heat still radiating from his fingertips. He saw the muscles on that delicate neck contract as she swallowed hard. After a moment she seemed to think better of meeting his gaze and lowered her eyes. A resentful stare jutted her chin out defiantly, but she remained silent.

Zuko carefully lifted himself up and off of her, and she stood as well. But the instant she was steady on her feet, what did the little peasant do? She made _another_ break for it. Zuko saw her dart forward, and only a rush of adrenaline, and, well, her hair, stopped her escape.

"For Agni's sake!" Zuko growled in astonished frustration. He lunged forward and grasped almost blindly for her, and the thing that he managed to grab onto turned out to be that long braid of hers. He didn't think. He just yanked.

She let out a strangled yelp and he grimaced at the obvious pain in her cry. Her head jerked back and she went crashing backward into his chest. Zuko stumbled and glimpsed her face, contorted in pain as her back hit the hard plate of his armor. Instinct took control of Zuko's mouth, and before he could stop himself, he had said it.

"Sorry!"

She fell into his arms and he threw them around her. Zuko's eyes had widened in horror as the word slipped out, but he was determined to hold her back however he could.

Her hands had jumped to her head and neck as she clutched them in pain. Zuko saw his chance and swiftly reached up from inside her arms and grabbed her wrists, snapping them down. He now had the waterbender pinned against the front of his armor, with his arms twisted around hers and restraining her.

Sorry…_sorry?_ Since when did he apologize! Hell, he barely apologized to Uncle, and here he was telling the girl he was trying to _capture_ that he was sorry for pulling her hair back and hurting her. The word had just popped out of his mouth. Maybe it was that pulling a girl's hair to stop her just felt really…low. And a bit juvenile.

Juvenile…how old was this girl anyway? Zuko peered down at the waterbender trapped against his chest and wincing. She looked like she was only a little younger than he was.

"You _apologize?_" she mocked, squirming in his grasp. Zuko's frown immediately deepened.

"_No_," he glowered into her hair.

"Hn. Good, because I do not _accept_ your _apology_."

"It _wasn't_ an apology, it was an accident." Zuko could have slapped himself, had his hands not been full of a certain angry waterbending girl. So much for sounding like he was in control. Why was he even talking to her?

"Oho, so the big bad prince makes mistakes. How shocking."

"Like that hurts, coming from someone who's just walked themselves into a pretty _big_ mistake."

She stiffened and with an abrupt jerk slammed the back of her head into his face, wrenching a pained "Ngh!" from the firebender.

"Well I hope _that_ leaves a pretty big bruise!"

The pain worked its way up Zuko's head, and man did his jaw _ache_. He saw her lean her head forward for another slam to his face, and quickly extended his own head to block her. He was just enough taller than her to be able to brace the back of her extended head, and stop her before she gained enough momentum to seriously thwack him.

The girl tried to snap her head back, but could only strain her neck in vain against his face. As she did so, Zuko felt the back of her neck press into his lips. He sensed her stiffen, so he knew she felt the awkwardly intimate contact too. Before his face could heat up he quickly turned his face to the side so that it was merely his good ear and cheek pressing up against the girl's exposed neck.

He could hear her grind her teeth in frustration, and felt that finally, maybe, he had won the battle. So he began to walk to the ship, feet scraping in the dirt, hoping against hopes that she would accept defeat and follow his lead.

But _nooo, _naturally the stupid girl wasn't through fighting. She forcefully dug both her heels into the ground and tensed her entire body. For Agni's…! Zuko sighed harshly, desperately wishing for something hard to bang his head against in exasperation. Then again…he shifted his jaw cautiously and felt a bruise starting up on his chin. Dammit. He'd sure had enough of hard things to the head tonight.

Zuko did the only thing he could think of doing. He tipped her back as much as he could and dragged her.

_Dragged_ her. All the way to the tree. He'd had to _drag _her _all_ the way to the tree. She was that stubborn.

Though honestly, he wouldn't have expected any different from this...fiery water peasant.

They made their way to his ship, leaving a bunch of boot prints and two long muddy crevices in their wake. And that's how Zuko had to meet his crew – frustrated, a bit battered, pointedly ignoring the mention of a pretty big looking bruise on his chin, entwined with a struggling girl in blue.

…So thanks to said girl, Zuko was pretty sure he left most of what had been his dignity scattered and smushed in the muddy tracks that they had left behind.

_Stupid waterbender._

If, someday, he faced her again…ooh, he promised himself that if nothing else, he would _not_ apologize to her.

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A/N

I tried to make this one realistic, like it could have actually happened without messing with the storyline too much. But were their positions hard to picture? I wasn't sure how to describe some of it...any suggestions would be lovely.

On a different note, the motivation for this drabble was - we know that Zuko grabbed Katara, and in the next scene she was tied to a tree, riiight? So that Zuko had to somehow _get_ her to the tree, riiight? And we know there's just no way Katara would have gone without a fight, so _what _happened to that struggle! Conclusion: They cheated us out of some perfectly legitimate potential Zutara fluff!


	6. Waterbending Scroll Remix II

**Waterbending Scroll Remix II**

Zuko scowled at the girl tied to the tree and once again demanded to be told the Avatar's location. But his frustration was in vain; her gaze had hardened into a steady glare, and her angry tone told him exactly how fiercely determined she was to defy him.

And he was just plain tired of meeting her with conflict, tired of trying to dominate someone as stubborn as he was. So _that's_ the reason he tried the smooth approach. Not for the chance to stalk behind her, whisper in her ear as he teased – taunted, _taunted_ – her, not because he'd wanted his fingers to graze the soft, smooth skin of her neck – that was an _accident_ – as his arms encircled her. And definitely _not_ because he liked the gentle brush of her hair against his cheek, so his uncle should shut up about anything stupid like that. _Really._

He _would_ admit (though only to the back of his mind) that the expressions that danced on her face, and the defiant flush that lit her cheeks were entertaining. And maybe to the farthest corner of his consciousness, he would admit that he had liked it, that her eyes really were rather enchanting when they sparked and shone with passion. He liked it when she looked at him.

Only, of course, when her hands were bound, and he was absolutely _certain_ that she couldn't throw a punch.

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A/N

I chopped this off the end of the last drabble, then figured I might as well add it. Because the tree scene can always use more appreciation!


	7. Shouldn't Have Remembered That

**Shouldn't Have Remembered That**

Contrary to what many people thought, Zuko did learn from his past experiences.

"Hey Zuko!"

Zuko turned to see a grinning Katara approaching him, her hands hanging casually behind her back.

"Close your eyes for a second, would you?"

Zuko's mouth opened in surprise, his mind unpleasantly full of a fire lit fountain and a girl in green. Her image was quickly replaced by a girl in blue – a girl he was quite sure would never pull anything like…that.

"…Excuse me?"

Katara stared at him, her expression slightly exasperated.

"Just close them."

There, she was annoyed, and probably thought him a bit slow, so there was no reason she would-

"I have something for you."

_...Hm..._

Coincidence, he decided firmly, and after eyeing her warily for a second he shut his eyes.

He heard clothing rustle slightly, and vaguely sensed her move closer, but when a gentle breath tickled his cheeks he froze. He surreptitiously cracked his eyelids opened.

She was rapidly closing the distance between them, her face, (which conveniently included her lips) was drawing alarmingly close to his, she was going to –

Zuko exploded backward, eyes wide and face flushing something furious, stuttered a garbled excuse and bolted, sprinting away in a random direction. In short, he panicked.

Leaving a suitably bewildered and irritated Katara clutching the fire nation emblem she'd been about to fasten to his head.

"Why that idiotic son of a –"

"Hi Katara!"

"Oh! Hey Aang. You don't happen to know what happened to Zuko, do you?"

"Yeah, he just ran past me. He seemed kind of spooked."

Katara rolled her eyes and muttered,

"Honestly, I never know what he's thinking."

"Mhmm, it was pretty weird. Any idea why his face looked like a tomato?"

Zuko, meanwhile, was breathless on the other side of the air temple. As he leaned, panting, on a stone column, he couldn't help but contemplate the thing he had fled.

A kiss. A very complicated kiss. One that most likely would have made his existence with the Gaang living hell – he was still debating who would have been the one to give it to him first. (He had his money on Sokka and Toph…then probably Aang, maybe even Katara herself. He could never quite figure her out). _Very_ complicated. So surely, it had been the sanest thing to do to avoid such a kiss. A dangerous kiss. A kiss from a girl who was, above all, strong, compassionate, intelligent and beautiful. A kiss that probably would have been loving, powerful, gentle, thrilling, _passionate._ A kiss that he had just run away from.

Oh yes, Zuko did learn from past experiences. Somehow, that still didn't make him any smarter.

* * *

A/N

Zuko can be such a dork sometimes! (And yet, somehow that makes him even more awesome)


	8. Her First Time in Red

**Her First Time in Red**

The first time Zuko sees her in red, his jaw drops. The bold color is wrapped skillfully about her cinnamon skin, revealing a tantalizing amount of legs, waist, arms…but the crimson sweeps all attention to those bright blue eyes. He wonders if she'll ever know that he wants nothing more than to take her in his arms and gently connect their lips, hear her smile, the yes, I love you too. She is laughing, the blue is shining and the red is glowing, and both make her look beautiful.

It was the first time he saw her in red, and he had never loved the color more.

The last time Zuko sees her in red, his heart stops. The dark color streaks down her heavy limbs in cruel sprawling twirls, she is covered in it, it's dragged her down, and he is drowning in it. There is no blue to make it beautiful, not this time. Her eyes are closed, there's only little drops of crimson clinging languidly to her lashes, there's something wet blurring his eyes, she's a shaking mass of red consuming his vision, and he can't make it go away.

She'll never know that he wants nothing more than to press his ear to her chest and hear something other than the drip, drip of red onto the stony ground.

It was the last time he saw her in red, and he had never hated the color more.


	9. Feeling Woozy?

**Feeling Woozy?**

"Zuko? Zuko, are you okay?"

He had returned from gathering food with Sokka with a drained look on his face. Katara had noticed and had been keeping an extra close watch on him, so when she saw him sway unsteadily as he stood up, she hopped to her feet and approached him.

"Zuko! What is it?"

He was breaking out into a cold sweat. Katara stared worriedly at the boy who had so recently earned their trust. He met her eyes apprehensively, reluctant to say anything or complain, but she saw the pain that pinched his brow. Katara glanced around, fervently hoping that someone else was nearby to help her, and her gaze snapped back to his face as she heard him mumble a soft "I don't feel…"

His eyes glazed and rolled upward as his entire body lurched forward a step. Katara uttered a sharp cry as Zuko collapsed in front of her, and did the first thing that sprang into her mind.

She lunged forward as the boy dropped, and fell to her knees to catch him. He collapsed heavily into her arms and she wrapped her hands around his back to steady them, trying not to panic.

A few days ago, even, she might have just let him fall, kiss the ground for all she cared. Oh, she'd have healed him and whatnot, she'd have convinced herself that her heart wasn't in it. Now, her healer's instincts and damned sense of forgiveness simply _demanded_ that she catch him, hold him, accept him, help him.

Zuko's head fell onto her shoulder, and drooped into the crook of her neck. Katara closed her eyes, brow furrowed, and instinctively pressed the side of her head against his. She could sense the obvious pain that tensed his body and waited until he relaxed and she could move him without causing anymore severe pain. She absentmindedly rubbed nervous circles into his back, hoping to convey some sort of subconscious comfort.

Then a harsh, hot breath of air escaped his lips and seared across the sensitive flesh of her neck. Katara's skin surged with adrenaline, and she drew a sharp breath, suddenly acutely aware of the teenage body she held against her own. She froze. Her skin still tingled where Zuko's hot, moist lips were pressing into her neck.

A slight red flush slowly grew on her cheeks. She had never held a boy like Zuko like this before. Even through the red cloth draped about his arms and back she could feel his well-defined muscles. He clearly worked out a lot. Not that Aang and her brother didn't, but somehow they had never seemed as…heavily muscled as youths of the earth kingdom and fire nation. And apparently, Zuko definitely proved her point, she thought, flushing as she shifted against him. Yup, fire and earth nation, buff chest. But then again, had she ever seen him shirtless? Maybe –

His feverish forehead rubbed against her skin; she shivered and jerked her mind away from the teenager's...assets.

What was she _doing??_ This was obviously _not _the right time for thoughts like that and_ definitely_ not about Zuko. She needed to focus on helping him. The poor guy's skin was absolutely burning up. The hot press of his flesh on her neck and arms was painful in a way she somehow didn't mind.

And his hair was tickling her cheeks. She tried turning her head away from his, but a silent chuckle burst from her throat. Her chest jolted against his, and she felt him tense even more. Katara immediately stifled her giggle, clenching and unclenching her hands in his shirt as she felt his limbs shudder. She cautiously turned her face into his hair to escape the infuriating tickling that the slight brushes of hair caused. She slowly, very slowly, began to lift herself and lay him down on the ground. He would twitch and tense in pain, and she would freeze. She held him and breathed.

And that's when Toph found them.


	10. Feeling Better?

**Feeling Better?**

Zuko awoke to a pleasantly cool weight on his forehead. His eyes slowly creaked open and two fuzzy blue orbs swam into his vision. He screwed his eyes up and squinted at the spheres of color that floated above him. What _were_ those things, and why wouldn't they _focus?_

He groaned, head throbbing violently, and the orbs seemed to zoom closer, taking up his entire vision. The cool sensation on his forehead seemed to be humming gently, and he felt some of the pain wash away. Confused, Zuko raised an arm and experimentally swung it in front of him. Something soft gave way as his arm heavily hit it, a surprised exclamation sounded and Zuko and felt something very wet splash onto his face.

Well. _Now _he was awake.

The blanket slid around his shoulders slid down as Zuko propped himself up onto his elbows and blinked rapidly at the water running down his bare chest. Wait, what happened to his shirt?

It was then that he noticed Katara kneeling next to him with an exasperated look on her face. She twitched her fingers and the water on his chest flew back to her palm. She raised her glowing water glove to his forehead and Zuko felt the pain still beating into his skull recede.

Zuko glanced around and saw that they were on the floor in Sokka's room. Sokka, at the moment, was sprawled nearby on his bed grumbling in his sleep. Katara took her hand away and Zuko gave a her grateful smile before asking, quite bewildered,

"What am I _doing _here?"

Katara smirked and quickly coughed to hide her laugh.

"Seriously Katara, what happened?"

"Next time Sokka challenges you to an eating contest, make sure you know what you're shoving into your mouth before you say yes."

Zuko furrowed his brow, and vaguely remembered shoveling some interesting mushroom-ish plants down his throat while Sokka stuffed himself nearby. ("I could eat loads more of these zingers than you could! Water tribe, baby, water tribe!") He grimaced and looked embarrassedly at Katara.

"I thought _Sokka_ knew what they were."

"Huh! Sokka will eat _anything_, you should have seen him on cactus juice. Hey, if you had you might've known better."

_Great, _Zuko thought dimly._ Another one for the "Reasons I Should Have Joined The Avatar Sooner" list. Avoiding fungus and Sokka induced hangovers._

"How long was I out?"

"Oh, only a couple hours. You're really very entertaining when you're unconscious," she grinned.

Horrified, Zuko paled.

"What…what did I say?"

"Not too much actually. Mostly nonsense."

Visibly relieved, he sighed.

"You're a _lovely _singer though."

Zuko immediately turned scarlet and he buried his face in his hands.

"I'm _never_ taking food from Sokka again."

Katara laughed good naturedly, and reached for the stool beside her.

"Here, eat this. It should take the edge off any more hallucinations."

One arm still busy covering up his blush, Zuko reached for the bowl. He spooned a bit of the mush into his mouth.

"_Bleck!"_

And promptly spat it out again.

"Ugh! What _is _that stuff?"

"It's medicine!"

"Yeah, but what did you _put_ in it?"

"Hey, it's just fruit!"

"Fruit?" Zuko peered suspiciously at the orange mush and pulled a face.

"Look, whatever it is, I really can't stand it. You can take it back."

"What? I'm trying to _help_ you, so you need to eat it! Besides, what am _I_ supposed to do with it?"

"I don't know, _you_ could eat it!"

"Bleh! But I hate papaya!"

"Then what are we _doing_ with papaya anyway?"

"Well, since Aang's a vegetarian he brings things like this back, but I've never liked the stuff, so I figured now was a good time to put my share to good use!"

"You mean _you_ don't want it, so you're forcing your leftovers on me?"

"C'mon, it really will help you!"

Zuko looked into her wide blue eyes, staring ever so earnestly at him, and he sighed in defeat. He supposed he _was_ being rather childish about the matter.

Katara watched as Zuko hesitantly tasted the loathsome fruit mix she'd prepared. She was determined to be sure that he really was eating enough of it. She watched the spoon slowly rise and pass into his mouth, and out, and down to the bowl, and up again as he forced down the taste she personally knew to be unpleasant. She watched his reluctant expression as the spoon slipped past his parted lips, and her eyes caught on the subtle movement that his mouth, and no doubt his tongue, was making when the tip of the spoon left his mouth, left his lips, left his mouth, his lips, his _lips-_

"What are you staring at?"

Katara jumped and guiltily wrenched her gaze to his perplexed eyes. Suddenly terribly self conscious, she felt her face start to heat. Katara scrambled to her feet and tried to look offended.

"You finish that before I finish checking Sokka, or I'll feed it to you myself!" With that, Katara turned and hastened to her brother's bedside.

Zuko frowned and stared crossly at the bowl. The threat was _highly _unnecessary in his opinion. Especially since he now remembered the content of some of his dreams, and he was eternally grateful that no one…_especially _Katara had made any sense of whatever he'd mumbled in his drugged stupor. Not that he recalled all his hallucinatory dreams, but…he got the gist.

Zuko sternly reminded himself that waterbending was for fighting, _not_ exotic dancing.

And attractive water tribe girls did not whisper enticing things into his ear while leading him to a secluded spot to –

Zuko rapidly shook his head in an effort to banish the surprisingly vivid scenarios painted into his mind. Hmm, the medicine would supposedly blunt those memories and suppress any more…He peeked from the horrible papaya mush to the girl in blue a couple feet away…and felt a mischievous blush sneak to his cheeks as he remembered his dreams.

Choosing the lesser of the two evils, Zuko began shoveling the papaya into his mouth.

Katara shook her head and turned away from the still unconscious Sokka (apparently he had won the contest) and sat back down by Zuko, content to see the empty bowl next to him. Zuko glanced at her; the last thing he'd seen before he passed out and the first thing he saw when he woke up. Something occurred to him.

"I'm sorry you had to drag me all the way back here."

Katara smirked a little at the thought of actually _dragging_ him to Sokka's room, and told him,

"Don't worry. Right after you collapsed Toph came by with Sokka, and she earthbended you both here pretty easily." Katara suavely controlled her features as she recalled Toph walking in on her and Zuko's awkward embrace. She'd been prepared for a mountain of friendly teasing, but Toph had been towing a babbling Sokka, and was preoccupied (worried, even) enough to ignore the fact that her friends were tangled quite interestingly with each other. Then Katara's face softened.

"After that I just brought your fevers down and waited for you to wake up." Her brow pinched and her expression darkened as she remembered hovering over their weakened, tense bodies, carefully monitoring their breathing while Aang and Toph anxiously waited nearby.

"You looked like you were in a lot of pain." Katara's hands drifted over to one of Zuko's and she grasped it. Zuko didn't miss the slightly haunted expression in her eyes, and he realized that she'd suffered along with them. That was Katara. She always forged such a strong connection with those she cared about, no matter the size of the problem. Zuko's heart ached and warmed at the depth of her incredible compassion, and he felt a surge of fondness for the water tribe girl.

Katara started slightly as she felt Zuko squeeze her hand, fingers trying to convey a sense of comfort. She gazed into the warm gold of his eyes and felt her limbs, though she knew both hers and his were weary, relax.

There was something so genuine in his smile, a window of pure emotion that was almost strange to see on her old enemy, who had once been so embittered. But that didn't matter. It still looked beautiful on his face.

"Thank you." She could hear the honesty ringing in his voice, but before she could pull him into a hug or even murmur a "You're welcome", a noisy grunt sounded from behind them. Surprised, both their heads turned towards the bed.

"Looks like Sokka's awake," Zuko said. Katara nodded in agreement and got up to see her brother.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty!" Katara chimed. Sokka blinked blearily at her and absorbed his surroundings, sparing an odd glance at the distinctly out of place firebender on his floor.

"Katara, do I even want to know what happened?"

"Probably not. You never learn, do you?" Sokka shook his hair out of his eyes and reached to accept the bowl Katara was offering, but suddenly groaned and pressed both hands to his forehead. Katara was quickly ready with a water glove in a second. A turquoise glow and a mumbled thank you later, Sokka swayed sleepily and leaned back.

"Sleep now. We can talk later."

Sokka gripped the covers, but before he pulled them up he peered at Zuko, who was staring at him from the floor, and jabbed a finger in his direction.

"Whatever happened, I blame _you_ when I wake up, mkay?"

With that, he yanked the covers over his head and flipped towards the wall.

Zuko stared, slightly open mouthed, at Sokka's now snoring back. Katara laughed kindly at his insulted expression.

"Wow. 'I blame you.' Those are some _harsh_ accusations there, Zuko. How can you ever defend yourself after that?"

Zuko glanced loftily at her, and said,

"Well, even though I might _never_ get over such a reasonable (and articulate) argument, I for one think I'm just _tragically _misunderstood."

Katara tried to contain her grin as she furrowed her brow in mock concentration.

"Misunderstood, eh? We'll just see if that one works again."

"It would probably work better if I had innocent puppy dog eyes like you. Besides, if you're the jury I'm doomed anyway."

Katara smiled and tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Well, you _have_ been a jerk in the past, and you're not very good at gathering food – "

"And you're _wonderful _at making me feel like an idiot – "

"–_but,_ overall I'd say you're pretty nice guy. And I'm glad that you joined our group."

Zuko looked taken aback; it was the first time she'd openly welcomed him into their family. He smiled gratefully at Katara, and the honesty of her words shone fiercely in her eyes.

"Now, be a good boy and go back to sleep like Sokka over there." At this, Zuko sat up further, but felt a telltale shake in his still unsteady limbs. He supposed sleep _would_ do his muscles good. Zuko paused, then crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows.

"Only if you do too."

"What?"

"You're more exhausted than either Sokka or I am. You should take your own advice and rest." Zuko tried to look stern, but gave her a small, almost apologetic smile.

Katara looked a bit surprised, but then she rolled her eyes and acquiesced.

"Hn, and they say _I'm_ bossy. Alright, alright, I'll rest if you will. Just feel better, hotshot." With that, Katara pulled him into a quick hug and hopped to her feet to leave.

Once her arms left his shoulders, Zuko felt a small, foolish smile grow on his face. He sunk into his blankets and watched Katara's feet trod once more to Sokka's bed, then away to get some rest. He rolled onto his side and let a pleasant sense of peace wash over him. _I'll have to thank Sokka for those stupid mushrooms when he wakes up. _Oh yes. He would most definitely be feeling better.

* * *

A/N

Gah, this wasn't supposed to take so long to get out...sorry! It goes with the previous drabble.


	11. Not a Crush, Cause Sugar Isn't Sweet

**Not A Crush...Because Sugar Isn't Sweet**

_Thu-ump. Thu-ump. ThumpaThumpaThumpaThumpa!! Thu-ump. Thu-ump._

Toph raised an eyebrow as she felt the heartbeat of the newest member of their group take an unexpected spike as Katara walked past. Being a concerned, if not a bit curious soul always interested in the wellbeing of her companions, Toph decided that it was her duty to lovingly and tactfully find out what was going on.

"Hey, Sparky! Get your butt over here!"

Toph sensed his head jerk her way. Oh yes, he knew who she was talking to. Zuko walked over to the petite earthbender. When he got within an arm's reach of her she reached up, grabbed his wrist and yanked down. Zuko was unceremoniously plopped down next to her with a slight "He-mmph!" He stifled his wince of pain – he knew Toph wouldn't hesitate to laugh at him whenever she could. He was used to her friendly manhandling even after a week or so of really knowing her.

"Yeah, what is it?"

Toph flicked pebble she'd been rolling between her fingers away and leaned back casually on the ground.

"So what's up between you and Katara?"

"I – what?"

Toph grinned and sat up as she heard his bewilderment turn to obvious discomfort with the topic.

"Let's just say that whenever a certain little waterbender passes on by, a certain little firebender's heartbeat goes a little bit _crazy_, if you know what I mean," Toph said.

Zuko's mouth parted slightly, but then he just frowned, eyes overcast, and said,

"It's…nothing, really."

Toph definitely picked up on the regret in his voice, but decided that for the moment teasing the newest member of the group would be the most fun. At least for her, anyway.

"Ooh, does someone have a little _crush_ on Sugarqueen?"

Zuko's eyes immediately widened and he started to splutter.

"A…_What?!"_

"Yup!"

"You're…you're kidding right?"

Toph let out a small snort of laughter, (that somehow suited her better than whenever Aang did it) a smirk growing on her face. Zuko, who had sprung up onto his knees in agitation, began to relax as he saw her roll her eyes at him. He rolled back onto his behind and ran a hand through his hair, sighing.

"You don't need to look so horrified, Hothands."

"Well, yeah, but it's just so ridicu-"

"You must have known I'd figure out your secret eventually!"

"Hey!"

Zuko had discovered early on that no amount of glaring could shut the girl up when she got going, but that certainly didn't stop him from trying.

She just giggled right on through his offended glower, and drew her features into a scandalized expression, clapping her hand to her cheek.

"But _what_ are we going to tell Sokka?"

"Stop laughing!"

She finally acquiesced, stifling her smirk to a gentle smile.

"Okay Zuko, okay."

Zuko gave a slight "hmph", annoyed, and furrowed his brow.

"Besides, I know you don't have a crush on Sugarqueen."

"Why do you call her Sugarqueen anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she's not exactly sweet, is she?"

"Oh. Not to you then, I guess. But honestly, at first it was supposed to annoy her. When we met, we didn't exactly get along."

"…Then…how did you get to be friends?"

"We just sort of…spent time together. She tried to get to know me, and soon we understood each other, even if we sometimes clash."

Zuko sighed and fixed a resigned, pensive look into the distance, and Toph put her hand on his shoulder for a moment.

"Don't worry Zuko, I'm sure eventually she'll want to reach out to you too."

"At this point, I'd be happy if she just didn't want to murder me in my sleep."

"Ohh, is that why you've been so uptight? Yeah, it's definitely a step in the right direction if she doesn't want to whack you."

"Great."

"Aw, don't sound so gloomy. I know you want Katara to care about you, and she will."

"Yeah. But I did tell you, I _don't _have a crush on her."

"Hey, I didn't say that, did I? You want her to care about you like you're really a member of our group. I know because…well, at first I thought it was annoying, and I pretended like it didn't matter, but that's what I wanted. Because…it's nice to be cared about, isn't it?"

"…You're right. I guess for a long time that's what I really wanted. To have someone care about me – only I was sure it had to be my father."

"What about your uncle?"

"…He cared. I think he loved me, but I…I've never appreciated him like I should have."

A pained expression crossed Zuko's face, and he sadly lowered his head, his face casting dark, lengthy shadows onto itself.

"It's okay, Zuko. Besides, you told us he busted himself out of prison right? Damn. It sounds like I'm not the only metalbender in the world. And if he's as tough as I am, well, we know he's fine, don't we?"

She reached out and punched his arm playfully. Zuko grinned and glanced at Toph. She looked very sure of herself there, sitting there contentedly in the pale sunlight.

"But for now, _we_ care about you. Heck, _I_ do at least. I'm pretty sure Twinkletoes does. And Katara will too."

Zuko gave her a grateful smile, and impulsively wrapped his arm around the earthbender's small frame, her clothes rustling against the stone floor as he pulled her into a one armed hug.

Then a certain girl clad in blue walked by, chatting with Aang on their way to waterbending practice. Zuko swallowed, his thoughts racing. He hadn't done anything that would deserve being chucked headfirst off the air temple, had he?

She continued nonchalantly with the airbender, but Toph sensed her attention momentarily shift their way.

A fleetingly cold stare at the two of them, and Toph felt Zuko's heartbeat flare right up from his chest.

_ThumpaThumpThump!!_

"Man, Zuko, she's really bad for your health."

Chuckling, she reached up and ruffled his hair messily.

_Sigh._

"Don't I know it…"

* * *


End file.
